The present invention relates to an apparatus for aid in attaching a work, which is arranged by the side of an assembly line and which can relieve an attaching job when the work such as a fuel tank is to be attached to a car body.
In case of attaching a work, such as fuel tank, to the lower surface of a car body which is conveyed along an assembly line, it is common practice that an operator sets the work on a lifter disposed under a floor and raises the work, and that he/she attaches the work to the lower surface of the car body which is suspended and conveyed at a predetermined height. Herein, a heavy burden is imposed on the operator for the reasons that the work is a weighty article, for example, that the fuel tank weighs 12-16 kg., and that the attaching job is performed from under the car body. A further drawback is that, since the lifter is disposed under the floor, a sufficient job space is not secured, so lowering in the efficiency of the job is incurred.
As a measure against the drawbacks, there has been proposed a work holding apparatus wherein, as disclosed in the official gazette of Japanese Utility Model Registration Application Laid-open No. 92125/1987, guide rails are laid by the side of the assembly line, a truck is disposed which is moved through the guide of the rails and in synchronism with the car body conveyed along the assembly line, a multiarticulated link motion which can turn horizontally is suspended from the truck, a work holder on which the work to be attached to the car body is placed is provided at the fore end of the multiarticulated link motion, and the work is moved relative to the car body conveyed along the line, thereby to transport the work to the vicinity of the work attachment position of the car body.
With the prior-art example, the work can be moved to the vicinity of the work attachment position by the work holder mounted on the fore end of the multiarticulated link motion which is suspended from the truck moved in synchronism with the movement of the car body conveyed along the assembly line and which is adapted to turn in the horizontal direction. Since, however, the error of the attachment position attributed to the positional deviation of the conveyed car body, etc. develops, the operator must carry up and position the work on each occasion of assemblage and then attach it. This brings about such a disadvantage that a heavy burden is imposed on the operator because the work is the weighty article.